10 years ago...
"Princess! Don't run, you might fall!"
"Come and catch me!"
Shara was only 7 years old at that time, playing alone in the palace garden, accompanied by her nanny, Lyn. She laughed with pure joy.
The next day, Shara ventured into the town. Whatever she desired would be granted, as she was the only child of the Elf kingdom's king. She was not only the youngest princess but also the sole heir to the throne. However, all her desires felt meaningless because there was no one to share them with. Shara's father was busy governing the kingdom and had no spare time for her. Her mother had passed away when she was just a baby. The people around her only saw Shara as the princess of the Elf kingdom. Shara felt alone, and her smiles, every day, felt forced.
One day, as Shara walked in the palace garden without Lyn, she stumbled upon a boy her age who was crying uncontrollably.
"Um, are you okay?" Shara asked.
The boy looked at Shara, tears streaming down his face. "Huh?"
Shara smiled at the boy.
"WAHH!" The boy cried even louder.
"Hey, don't cry!" Shara then took some candy from her pocket and offered it to the boy.
The boy stopped crying after being given the candy. "What's your name?" Shara asked.
"Leonel!"
"How old are you?"
"Um... seven years old!"
"Really? We're the same age!" Shara exclaimed with joy because, for the first time, she had found someone her own age to play with.
From then on, Shara and Leonel became friends. Leonel came to play with Shara every day. Shara eagerly awaited the afternoons when Leonel would come to play.
Shara showed Leonel all the games she used to play alone, and games she had previously found uninteresting became enjoyable when they played together. Shara's once-empty smiles now radiated with colorful happiness. However, one day, Leonel's mother came looking for him.
"Leonel! What are you doing here?" his mother scolded him harshly.
"I'm playing with my friend!" Leonel replied with a smile.
"Friend? Who is your friend? Do you realize this is not a place for you to play as you please?" his mother scolded him again.
"My friend is named Shara, Mom!"
"What? Princess Shara!" Leonel's mother raised her voice and grabbed his hand, pulling him away.
"Wait, Mom! Shara told me to wait for her here!"
"Enough! I said we're going home! Princess Shara is not your friend!" his mother insisted as she forcefully took him away.
Shara returned to the cottage where she and Leonel used to play. "Huh? Where did Leonel go?" Since that day, Shara never saw Leonel at that spot again.
The next day, Leonel's father went to see the Elf king to apologize for his son's behavior.
Shara was once again alone, waiting for her friend Leonel every day at the same spot. The absence of her friend left her feeling sad, and her once joyful life turned even lonelier.
Three years passed, and Shara was now 10 years old.
After three years, Shara reunited with Leonel at the same cottage where they used to play.
"Huh? Who are you?" Shara asked.
"Princess Shara, it's me, Leonel!"
"Leonel? The one who used to cry a lot! It's been so long! How dare you leave without saying goodbye!"
"Hahaha! Please forgive me, Princess Shara," Leonel said, looking guilty.
"Hehe, don't worry, I'm not mad. Just call me Shara, we're friends, after all."
Leonel lowered his head in apology. "I can't do that, Princess Shara. I know I was rude to you before. I didn't understand my place. Please forgive me, Princess Shara. I'm not worthy of being friends with you."
"What do you mean not worthy of being friends? If not you, then who—" Shara was about to continue, but Lyn interrupted her, whispering something in her ear.
"Princess Shara, please be patient and respect his decision."
After hearing those words, Shara left, clenching her fists. "Who else is worthy of being friends with me!"
"Wait, Princess Shara!" Leonel didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.
"I'm sorry, Princess Shara, but I want to become a strong palace warrior. This way, I can be with you."
When Leonel was 7 years old...
"Do you understand what you did wrong?" his father, General Leonard, who was a powerful figure in the Elf kingdom, asked.
Leonel lowered his head and kneeled. "I understand my mistake, Father! But I want to be with Princess Shara, Father! I..."
"Who do you think you are? Princess Shara is not your friend, understand!"
Leonel was shocked by his father's scolding. However, he didn't give in and remained determined.
"I WILL STILL BE WITH PRINCESS SHARA!"
General Leonard was taken aback, hearing his son shout and be so stubborn for the first time.
"What's gotten into Leonel? He never used to shout like this. He never used to defy me. Princess Shara, I don't know what you did to my son, but I'm grateful," he thought with a grin.
"Leonel, why are you being so rude and shouting at your father like that? I never taught you this!"
"It's okay! Don't worry," General Leonard got up from his seat.
"For the first time, he's this determined! This could be a motivator for him," he thought.
General Leonard placed his hand on his son's shoulder and said, "If you want to be with Princess Shara, you have to become strong. Stronger than everyone else."
Leonel looked up at his father. "Is it true that by becoming strong, I can meet Princess Shara again? Uhuhu..." Leonel cried.
"Yes, it's true!" General Leonard smiled, pleased that his son had found a path that would lead him to become a great palace warrior.
From that day on, Leonel started training every day to become a palace warrior and reunite with Shara.
°°°
Shara returned to her room, letting out all the pent-up sadness within her.
"Uargh!"
"Princess Shara, be patient!" Lyn could only stand outside Shara's room, hearing her cry.
After that, Shara lost Leonel as her friend. No one dared to be friends with her because of their differing statuses.
At the age of 13, Leonel had successfully become the youngest palace warrior, defeating many older competitors to earn his place. General Leonard was ecstatic about his son's achievements, proud of his name.
Princess Shara was no less accomplished. She had been practicing archery since she was young and was now among the best. However, her safety was ensured by a few elite guards known for their strength, so her strength is useless since no one care. Albert was the leader of the special unit established solely for her protection.
This special unit was only joined by selected individuals. The selection process was even more rigorous than that of the palace warrior because not everyone knew of the existence of such a unit. Leonel aspired to join this unit after learning about it from his father. It was his way of being close to Shara.
At the age of 16, Princess Shara managed to land a hit on Albert for the first time after years of training together. Her hard work had paid off. She often trained with her grandfather and Leonel because they all had the same job as archers. Through this training, Shara had grown strong.
"Do you know that the Heroes have been summoned to the Human Kingdom?"
"Really? Does that mean the Heroes are going to defeat the Demon King?"
"Yes! I heard there are five Heroes this time!"
Shara overheard the palace maids talking about the arrival of new Heroes.
She made her way to her father's chamber, where he was discussing with other Elves.
"We will send a few warriors to the Human King to welcome the Heroes. So, I'll be sending you and your team, Leonel," the Elf king said.
"Thank you for the honor, Your Majesty!" Leonel replied.
Shara, who had come to find her father, then went to search for Albert.
"Albert!"
"Albert!"
"I'm here, Princess Shara. What can I do for you?"
"Albert, do you remember the promise you made when you first started training me in archery?"
"Promise? When I first started training you? What was it?"
"Albert!" Shara looked visibly upset.
"Hehe!" Albert had known about the promise from the beginning; he was just teasing Shara.
"Uhhhh! Don't play around, please!"
"Alright! What does Princess Shara want?"
Shara smiled sweetly.
*Why do I have a bad feeling about this?* Albert thought.
From that moment on, Shara managed to convince Albert to take her to the Human realm without the Elf king's knowledge.
"Lyn, please keep this secret! Just for three months," Albert requested Lyn's assistance.
"Alright! Please take care of yourself in the Human realm, and don't trouble Albert. If anything happens, I won't compromise on any more of the princess's plans."
"Thank you, Lyn!"
"Albert, take good care of the princess!"
"Of course!" Albert and Shara entered the horse-drawn carriage together.
"I apologize for not being able to go with you," Leonel lowered his head, apologizing to his team members.
"Don't worry, Captain, we'll be fine!"
"Yeah, that's right! You should rest if you're not feeling well!"
"Thank you, everyone!"
They set off for the Human realm. The group consisted not only of Leonel's team but also other accompanying groups.
"Princess Shara, I won't be able to call you by your name as usual for the next 3 months. You'll need to use a pseudonym," Albert informed her.
"Yes, Shara knows. I already have a name in mind!"
"What is it?"
"Sara!"
"Uhmm, don't you have any other names?"
"Shara thought about it for a long time!"
"So, you thought for a long time, and in the end, you just dropped the 'H' from your name!"
"Well, I'm not used to strange names!"
"Fine, as long as Sara remembers my instructions."
"Covering my face, I can understand, but why can't I speak? Are we going to communicate only through writing?"
"Yes, only through writing! Some people might recognize your voice, Sara. Understand?"
"Uhmm!"
*Actually, I can change your voice using magic, but Princess Shara always slips up in conversation! It might be a problem later on. It's better not to let her speak at all.* Albert thought.
On her first day in the Human City, Shara fell in love with an ordinary man. Three months in the Human Kingdom ended without the man ever discovering Shara's true identity. Shara was known as a sparring partner, and the man became her first human friend.
"Welcome back, Princess Shara," Lyn greeted her upon her return.
"Mmm, thank you, Lyn." Shara walked back to her room.
"What's wrong with Princess Shara, Albert? She looks so down. Did something happen over there?"
"I don't know. Maybe she's sad about leaving her friend behind?"
"Friend? You let Princess Shara befriend someone? Are you crazy, Albert? You should never have allowed her to befriend a specific person! What if something happens to her!"
"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on Princess Shara. Besides, that boy is one of the Hero's friends. He doesn't know much about our world, and he's just an ordinary boy. Nothing special."
"An ordinary boy, you say? And Princess Shara looks so gloomy because of that?!"
"He's her first friend, Lyn. She's never had any friends before. She's probably just sad to leave him behind. Give it a few days, and she'll be fine."
"Uhmm!"
A few days later, Shara's grandfather came to visit her.
"Shara, I'm here! Let's practice!"
They practiced together, and after their session, her grandfather praised her.
"Wow, Shara is getting stronger since returning from the Human Kingdom!"
Her grandfather knew about everything because he had orchestrated Shara's journey to the Human Kingdom.
°°°
"Come on, Albert! You promised!"
"The request is too difficult for me to fulfill, Princess Shara!"
At that moment, Shara's grandfather arrived and observed their interaction.
"What's all this commotion?"
"Grandfather!"
Shara smiled broadly upon seeing her grandfather. She then persuaded him to assist her. Her grandfather was very indulgent with her, and he was the one who had planned Shara's trip to the Human Kingdom.
°°°
"Did you practice while you were there?"
"Yes! I practiced archery with someone. He's really good!"
"Huh! Is he better than your old grandfather?"
"Of course not, Grandfather!"
*Ummm, actually, I'm not sure who's better between you and Raqnid. Who would win, I wonder?* Shara thought to herself.
"Hahaha! Your old grandfather knows the answer!"
Shara began to cheer up after meeting her grandfather. She shared everything she had done in the Human Kingdom with him.
One day passed...
One week passed...
One month passed, and Leonel managed to join the special unit...
One year passed...
"Sara!"
Shara automatically turned her gaze to the source of the voice.
*Why are you thinking like this, Shara? Responding to a call that's not your name. But... only a few people would call me by this name. Hah! What are you hoping for, Shara? It must be Albert. Albert must be joking around. The important thing is that I know it's Albert who called me. Albert, you're really looking for trouble.*
Shara glanced towards the voice and saw...
*Huh!*
*Why is Albert pretending to be someone else? He's playing a prank for sure.* Shara thought.
"I'm sorry! From a distance, you looked like a friend of mine. When you turned this way, I realized my mistake. Please forgive me!"
*He even mimicked the voice. Albert is going too far!* Shara thought.
Shara mourned the sight of Raqnid's face, which she hadn't seen in so long.
*Shara, this is just one of Albert's games. Why does it hurt so much?* Shara thought.
"Haha! You must be wondering how I ended up here. Well, I... got lost. Haha! I'm sorry, I'll leave now!"
*Wait, Albert! Don't go yet, Shara hasn't had enough of your disguise!* Shara thought.
"Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?" Raqnid asked.
They heard someone approaching. Without hesitation, Raqnid quickly disappeared from view, avoiding being seen by anyone else.
*Wait... Don't go!* Shara thought.
"Huh! Luckily, I didn't get caught. Why was that girl crying?"
"Princess Shara! What are you doing here? I've been looking for you for so long... huh? Why are you crying?" Lyn approached Shara.
"Huh! Shara's not crying!" Shara then wiped away her tears.
"Huh! Why won't Shara's tears stop?" Tears continued to flow uncontrollably. She wiped them away repeatedly but couldn't stop them.
"Haha! Lyn, don't worry, it's just dust in Shara's eyes!"
*Princess Shara!* Lyn then hugged Shara tightly.
"Yes, I know, Princess! You don't have to hold back your tears anymore, just let it all out. I'm here!"
"What are you saying, Shara... Ughhh... Huhuhuh... Huarghh!" Shara couldn't control her emotions any longer, crying in Lyn's embrace. After not meeting Raqnid for so long, he suddenly appeared before her without recognizing her true self.
"Albert, quickly get some tissues!"
*Huh? Albert! If Albert is here, that means the one from earlier... Ughhh!*
"Albert! Ughh... *sniff*"
"What's wrong with Albert, Princess Shara?" Lyn asked.
"It's all Albert's fault! Huhuhu!"
"Hah? What did I do, Princess Shara?" Albert was surprised.
"You better be ready, Albert, I'll deal with you later! I'll teach you, Albert! Princess Shara, don't cry anymore!"
*Raqnid, you haven't changed at all, still the same as before. What's changed is me. The Sara you once knew was just a deception, she doesn't exist. What exists is Shara, the daughter of the Elf kingdom. Yes, I am Princess Shara. You must dislike my true self, don't you? Known by many, as the king's child, the sole heir to the Elf kingdom. Too much attention will only cause trouble, right? You must hate it right, Raqnid!*